Rand Paul: Up To SCOTUS If ‘Natural-Born Canadian’ Cruz Can Be President

Republican presidential candidate Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., speaks during a campaign stop at the Republican Liberty Caucus, Friday, Oct. 9, 2015, in Nashua , N.H. (AP Photo/Jim Cole)
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) fanned the Ted Cruz-birther flames yet again, telling Fox News Monday that the Texas senator is a “natural-born Canadian” and that it’s up to the courts to decide whether Cruz is eligible for president.

“Cruz is a natural-born Canadian,” Paul said, according to CNN. “He was naturally born there. The question is, can you be natural-born Canadian and natural-born American at the same time? Maybe, but I think the courts will have to decide it, because it’s never really been decided.”

“For traditional citizenship it always has been (your parent), but the only part of the Constitution that says ‘natural-born’ is with regard to the President. So it appears to be a unique qualification and most people have interpreted they had to be born in the U.S. until recently,” Paul said on Fox. “So I think eventually the Supreme Court will probably have to decide it.”

Last week, Paul said that Cruz “is qualified and would make the cut to be prime minister of Canada.”

The question of Cruz’s Canadian birth — he was born to a U.S. mother in Canada, which at the time, legally made him a U.S. citizen — has come to the forefront of the 2016 race after Cruz’s chief rival Donald Trump called it it a “a very precarious” situation.

Plenty of GOP candidates and Republicans have defended Cruz’s eligibility, but Trump and others are suggesting that if he becomes the nominee Democrats will sue to block his candidacy.

Cruz has dismissed the idea that he is not a natural-born citizen as “political noise.”

Latest Livewire
24
Show Comments

Notable Replies

  1. Poor ol’ Ted. Nobody likes him. He better buy a dog.

  2. Avatar for azjude azjude says:

    Natural born Canadian.

    Love it!

  3. Wish he was willing to say the same about the Supreme Court that decided Roe v. Wade.

  4. What happens if the dog questions Ted’s eligibility?

  5. He says that like its a bad thing

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

18 more replies

Participants

Avatar for system1 Avatar for clunkertruck Avatar for commiedearest Avatar for rudesan Avatar for inlabsitrust Avatar for inversion Avatar for johnscotus Avatar for ottnott Avatar for maxaroo Avatar for serendipitoussomnambulist Avatar for fiftygigs Avatar for dnl Avatar for azjude Avatar for darrtown Avatar for pshah Avatar for spencersmom Avatar for tiowally

Continue Discussion
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Deputy Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: